Below you will find the sixth in a series of After Action Report articles written by players participating in The Last Hundred Yards ladder play on BGG. You can find the first five articles in this series here. If you would like to participate in the LHY ladder play, please contact Mark Buetow through the LHY Facebook page or on BGG. Enjoy!

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August 1944 The American Third Army was attempting to pin down and cut off the German Seventh Army near Le Mans, France. Like a huge sickle, CCR and CCA of the 5th Armored tore through the enemy’s flank. On the night of August 9th, A Company of the 10th Tank Bn., and supporting infantry from “C” Company of the 47th Infantry seized two river crossings near Peray. Throughout that night, as the Americans caught their breath; they could hear the ominous rumbling of enemy vehicles just north of their positions. As dawn broke on the 10th, German Mark IV’s with supporting artillery and infantry engaged the Americans in a furious counterattack. With the river at their backs restricting movement, elements of Captain Francis Baum’s company let loose with all the weapons they had.

Mission Objective:

Mission ends if at the end of any game turn there are no American combat units adjacent or within two hexes and LOS of a bridge or ford hex, or when one side exceeds its Casualty Differential Limit, or when the Final Score is ≥ 51.

Forces:

American: Able Co., 1st Infantry Plt., and the 2nd Tank Destroyer Plt. (1 M36 TD), supported by one MG unit, one 57mm AT Gun, one LATW and one 60mm mortar.

German: 1. Kp., 1st and 2nd Infantry Plts., 1. Tank Kp., 2nd Tank Plt., supported by one MG unit and one 8cm mortar section.

After Action Report by Ian Hayhoe (Germans)

We were cautious in our initial advance as the enemy’s position was unknown. Our infantry advanced slowly on a broad front to flush out any hidden defenders followed by the tank platoon ready to provide support when necessary. Suddenly, the crack of high velocity anti-tank fire from an American M36TD was heard from the hill to our right destroying one of our panzers. The enemy tank destroyer was quickly spotted and destroyed by the combined fire of our remaining panzers. Not a bad exchange for us.

Small arms fire from the Americans defending the hills across the stream on our left was intense and temporarily held up our advance. But our infantry worked slowly through near the stream to get in position to clear the enemy from the hills across the stream. Our remaining panzers carefully maneuvered in position to support our advance hoping to avoid any further anti-tank fire.

We made good progress as we advanced toward the village. Effective mortar fire from our supporting 8cm mortar section resulted in additional American casualties. In a display of tremendous Heroism, an American squad charged down the hill and across the river, catching us by surprise. This single American squad successfully blunted our attack and forced the whole of one of our platoons to withdraw. Although the Americans had suffered numerous casualties, time was running short and there was now a question of whether we would be able obtain our objective in time.

And then fate intervened as it often does. Murphy believing he was about to be overrun, inexplicably panicked, and fled from the safety of the stone church to a lesser position on the northern side of the bridge. Emboldened by our good luck, we immediately moved forward and placed concentrated small arms and mortar fire on the remaining Americans. Very shortly, American casualties reached an unsustainable level and we prevailed.

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Previous Articles:

The Last Hundred Yards Ladder Play After Action Report: Mission 9 — A Tough Nut to Crack

The Last Hundred Yards Ladder Play After Action Report: Mission 24.0 — All for a Piece of Dirt

The Last Hundred Yards Ladder Play After Action Report: Mission 13.0 — Bridge 10

The Last Hundred Yards Ladder Play After Action Report: Mission 8.0 — Black Cat Blues

The Last Hundred Yards Ladder Play After Action Report: Mission 5.0 — Counterattack at Hatten